Medtronic Team: Jingping Nie, Yuting Ren, Lissette Ramirez, Natsai Nyabadza
2016-2017: In collaboration with Medtronic, this student team designed a test system to measure the load versus leak rate of minimally invasive surgery devices to inform device development. The existing method for measuring load versus leak rate required multiple people and manual data input; the team’s goal was to design a system to automatically control pressure and collect continuous data digitally.
The team reviewed a variety of commercially available devices and software for measuring load and leak data and generated 12 possible combinations for the overall system. Evaluating the concepts against the design requirements, the team selected a design that incorporated a flowmeter, a pressure regulator, a load frame, and a data acquisition package. The team tested each sub-system as well as the integrated system, verifying the requirements were met.
The team delivered the integrated system to Medtronic for use by their research and development group, along with a user manual for the overall system and each sub-component.